Fox Sports confirmed Friday that NFL commentator Mark Sanchez, who was stabbed and hospitalized last month for his injuries following an alleged altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver, will not return to the network.
“We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network,” a spokesperson told The Associated Press in a statement. “No further comment will be made at this time.”
The former NFL quarterback and analyst was reportedly sent to Indianapolis last month to cover a game before he was stabbed.
Fox sports was “deeply grateful” Sanchez was in stable condition at the time, but Indianapolis police later announced that Sanchez also faced criminal charges for his alleged role in the encounter with 69-year-old Perry Tole.
Prosecutors say Sánchez initiated the altercation and that Tole was working for a cooking oil disposal company when Sánchez aggressively approached him.
A police statement based on Tole’s statements And nearby security camera footage says Sanchez approached Tole and his box truck in the loading docks of a hotel, leading to a fight over whether Tole was allowed to be there before Sanchez physically accosted the driver.
Tole then pepper-sprayed Sanchez and used a knife in self-defense, leaving Sanchez with wounds to the right upper torso. Tole was hospitalized with a serious cut on his face and told police that Sánchez smelled of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Kyusung Gong/Associated Press
Sánchez was charged at the time with three felonies: battery causing injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication. Tole has since charged Fox and Sanchez, whose battery charge was later upgraded to a misdemeanor.
“I want to be clear about this: I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what you do for a living, I don’t care where you live,” Indianapolis Police Chief Chris Bailey said at a news conference in October. “If you come into our city and commit violence, we will use every tool at our disposal to hold you accountable.”
Sanchez will be replaced at Fox Sports by fellow NFL retiree Drew Brees, according to CNN.
